I can say as someone who moved from Texas to Western Europe almost 3 years ago, the health insurance situation is certainly an upgrade in many regards. The monthly premium is reasonable and the yearly out of pocket max is also reasonable if you have a good salary. I also have the option to pay the annual deductible as a part of my monthly premium so all care is “free” for the year. If you live on a fixed income or have a chronic condition, I can see how that would be a plus.

My only complaint would have to be the insistence that everything can be solved with a couple of aspirin and bed rest. While they’re probably right on the whole, nothing feels worse than finally mustering up the energy to make the appointment and travel to the office only to be told to go back home and do nothing. I came to the office specifically because I tried the home remedies and they didn’t seem to be working! I’ve also heard stories from others about twisting an ankle and being told the same thing. No xray or sonogram to double check, just “go home and relax”. I see quite a few people walking around with a limp which is probably just some form of bias on my part, but I can’t help but wonder how many people were let down by the system because a GP somewhere decided it wasn’t worth putting more resources into unless you follow their playbook first to a T. IMO it goes to show how systems can work for general populations but often fall apart when applied to individuals.